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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · bear · row · can · root · kid · spell · content

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. row — a line
  4. root — of a word
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. spell — a short time
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — the cause
  15. date — the fruit
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com